WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The discovery that StarLink bio-corn contaminated
another variety of corn in 1998 may be due to either drifting pollen in the field
or careless handling of the seed, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The worrisome new incident prompted the USDA to call a special meeting on Monday
with department scientists, economists, policymakers as well as representatives of
the U.S. food and grain industries.

StarLink, made by Aventis SA, is at the center of an unprecedented flap over U.S.
bio-engineered crops. Since StarLink was discovered in taco shells in late September,
more than 300 kinds of chips and flour have been recalled,food processors' production
lines have been disrupted, and Japan and other key buyers of U.S. corn have put purchases
on hold.StarLink, which went on the market in 1998, is allowed in livestock feed
but U.S. regulators barred it from human food because of unanswered questions about
allergic reactions.

Aventis announced on Tuesday that it found some of the same Cry9C protein --the
key component of StarLink corn -- in another variety of 1998 corn seed produced by
Garst Seed Co. of Iowa.

Aventis said it did not know how the contamination occurred two years ago.Under
Aventis licensing agreements, Garst and other corn seed producers must meet quality
standards and use the Cry9C technology only in varieties sold as StarLink.

DRIFTING POLLEN OR MISHANDLING?

Government officials said they had little information."At this point, we
don't yet know exactly what happened and how," said USDA spokesman Andy Solomon."The
question here is, was it gene flow or mishandling during production and distribution
by this one company that caused this?" he added. Gene flow, which can occur
as pollen from corn plants is blown into other fields, has long been a worry of environmentalists
and organic farmers.Anti-biotech groups have urged the federal government to tighten
restrictions on gene-spliced crops, and at the very least require much bigger buffer
zones to protect other plant species. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency
requires a 660-foot buffer around fields of StarLink corn. Another possible cause
of the contamination could be careless handling of the corn seed at some point in
its production, bagging or marketing. Hybrid seed corn must be meticulously segregated
and handled to preserve its identity.Garst, based in Slater, Iowa, said in a statement
that the Cry9C protein was found in "limited quantities" of a single, corn
hybrid produced by the company in 1998. The company said it discovered the StarLink
protein through on-going seed testing procedures.Garst said its tests showed no sign
of the Cry9C protein in 1999 or 2000 crops of the same corn variety.

USDA UNSURE OF ADDITIONAL STEPS

The USDA said it planned no immediate action, but would meet with industry officials
on Monday to analyze the incident. The meeting will help determine "what additional
steps, if any" the government or industry needs to take, Solomon said. After
StarLink was discovered in taco shells, the government prodded Aventis into launching
a $100 million buy-back program to collect as much of the current harvest as possible.
Although StarLink was grown on less than 1 percent of all U.S. corn fields, it was
commingled with much larger quantities of corn. The Cry9C protein was engineered
into StarLink to protect the young corn plant from destructive pests.The discovery
of the protein in another kind of corn seed was seized on by anti-biotech activists
as evidence that Aventis and other makers cannot keep control of new gene-spliced
varieties.

"It shows the potential for human exposure to this is not just from the StarLink
corn that has yet to be accounted for in this year's harvest," said Charles
Margulis, a biotech expert with Greenpeace. "Clearly, Aventis doesn't have any
idea how much is really out there, and how much consumers may be exposed to this"
Greenpeace is one of two dozen members of a coalition of environmental and consumer
groups that wants the government to temporarily halt approvals of new bio-crops or
initiate strict tests for human and environmental safety. Aventis has presented the
government with new scientific data that it says proves StarLink is no threat to
human health. The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a meeting next week to
analyze the data and help determine if StarLink should be given temporary approval
as human food.

20:42 11-21-00

Biotech Protein Found in SeedBy CAROL ANN RIHA
The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Material from a genetically engineered type of
corn found in taco shells earlier this year has been discovered in a different seed,
officials said Tuesday. The discovery raises the possibility that the material could
find its way into other food products.Federal agencies, including the Agriculture
Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration,
have been notified of the agricultural mixup.``We don't yet know exactly what happened
where and how,'' USDA spokesman Andy Solomon said. ``We are working with the companies
involved and others in the industry to learn more about the nature and the extent
of the situation.'' The mixup was discovered by an Iowa corn company testing StarLink
corn, which is not approved for human consumption because of unresolved questions
about its potential to cause allergic reactions.

Protein from StarLink was found in non-StarLink hybrid seed corn produced in 1998
and grown and harvested the following year. Garst Seed Co., which discovered the
problem, said it was trying to determine how widespread it might be. ``We're too
early into it to know exactly how many units, bags may have been affected,'' company
spokesman Jeff Lacina said.The seed's developer, Aventis CropScience, said Tuesday
that it had conducted its own tests after several farmers announced they had found
the StarLink protein in other types of corn. Aventis said it could not explain the
findings. The company has said it wants the EPA to grant a temporary food-use permit
for the corn and submitted data last month that it said showed the grain posed no
hazard to consumers. Discovery of the corn in the food supply has forced nationwide
recalls of taco shells and forced the shutdown of processing plants.

New StarLink corn
scare worries Japan trader
By Jae Hur

TOKYO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The discovery that StarLink bio-corn contaminated
another variety of corn in 1998 has deepened doubts in Japan over U.S. assurances
that its corn supply is StarLink-free, traders said on Wednesday. Franco-German life
sciences firm Aventis SA said on Tuesday it had found some Cry9C protein -- the key
component of StarLink corn -- in a variety of 1998 corn seed produced by Garst Seed
Co of Iowa.

Aventis said it did not know how the contamination occurred. Garst said in a statement
that the Cry9C protein was found in "limited quantities" of a single, corn
hybrid produced by the company in 1998. The Cry9C protein was engineered into StarLink
to protect the young corn plant from destructive pests.

The discovery came after some Japanese importers resumed U.S. corn buying for
first-quarter shipment early this week, ending a four-week standstill in domestic
corn trade after the discovery of traces of StarLink corn by a local consumer group
last month in food and animal feed, traders said. "The discovery has deepened
our concerns about the U.S.'s ability to guarantee that our corn imports will be
free of StarLink," said a senior trading house trader, adding it would slow
moves towards resuming normal trade. The StarLink controversy has already prompted
importers to scramble to find other supply sources.

Japanese importers have only secured about 30 percent of their needs for first-quarter
shipment, the trader said. By this time last year, they had completed nearly all
their first-quarter term deals.

CAUSE OF CONTAMINATION IN DOUBT

The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) said late on Tuesday the discovery of the
StarLink protein may be due to either drifting pollen in fields or careless handling
of the seed. StarLink, which went on the market in 1998, is allowed in animal feed
but U.S. regulators barred it from human food because of unanswered questions about
allergic reactions. In Japan, it is not approved for human food and animal feed.

The USDA and Japan's Health Ministry had finalised details of an agreement for
testing corn shipped to Japan as food to ensure it does not contain the genetically
modified StarLink grain, a U.S. Embassy official said on Tuesday. A protocol has
not yet been reached for testing animal feed corn shipments, which fall under the
jurisdiction of Japan's Agriculture Ministry. But ministry officials say the protocol
agreed for food use could also be applied to animal feed.

However, traders said the U.S. testing plan fell short of a full safety guarantee
and complained that the cost of the tests may eventually be charged to Japanese importers.
Japanese end-users are reluctant to pay the extra cost because it will raise local
prices for food and animal feed.

The extra cost could also affect domestic meat trade, widening the price gap between
meat imported from the United States, where StarLink feed may be used, and that produced
in Japan, where the feed is banned, he said.Japan, the biggest consumer of U.S. corn,
imports about four million tonnes of corn per year for food and another 12 million
tonnes for animal feed,mostly from the United States.